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Archive for the tag “PC”

After Max discovers her rewind powers, she finds herself in more trouble than she bargained for. Not only does Max not know what her limits are, but she finds herself caught between Chloe and Kate. To make things worse, the school’s psychopath, Nathan, is out to get Max and even her rewind power might not save her.

Spoiler alert, which I try to avoid, but it’s difficult not to talk about some video games without mentioning them. First, I’m going to talk about Kate, the religious friend of Max’s who found herself on a viral video. I’m going to tell you what I’m sure you’ve already figured out if you played the game. Kate when to a party and Nathan drugged her. As a result, she unintentionally starred in a sex video and has no memory of what happened. People hassle Kate for it with Victoria in the lead and her mother and aunt disowned her.

According to them, Kate’s disgraced the name of God by starring in that video and, either they don’t believe that Nathan drugged her, or they feel that it’s her fault. First off, I would think that people that raised Kate would know that she would not do something like this voluntarily. Another thing is that, as tragic as the situation is, I’m glad that they chose Kate to give it to rather than Victoria. I’ve seen rape used too poorly in many fictional franchises where the victim is usually a provocatively dressed party girl. What many people fail to get is that rape is about power and ugly people can fall victim to it. By having this happen to Kate, who preaches about abstinence and wears conservative clothes, you demonstrate that this can happen to anyone. Doesn’t matter how pretty you are, how modestly you dress and how much you preach about God. Anyone can be a victim and it is not your fault. Kate’s storyline also shows how evil Victoria is and yet the game shows hints that she’s not pure evil. Yes, she does spread Kate’s viral video around, bullies Max and even films something at the end that I won’t give away because I have to keep some mystery. However, Victoria is there for her friend, Taylor, in her time of need and, at the end, even feels remorse over her actions. Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t redeem Victoria but it makes her a more complex character. Nathan, on the other hand, seems closer to pure evil but the game hints at a troubled family background in the first episode. I applaud that they’re not using this to excuse him and it doesn’t look like he’s getting a love redeems plot. That’s something that happens quite often in these types of stories.

Now, I’m going to talk about Chloe. Right now, I don’t know what to feel about her. I do like that she’s not pure evil as society would portray most female characters like her. Chloe can also be rather tough and I can sympathize with her situation. In the last episode, we learn that Chloe has an abusive step-father her mother married after her real father died. This episode does give the step-father depth but it doesn’t excuse him beating up Chloe and harassing Kate. Chloe dreams of leaving Arcadia Bay and making it out on her own in the big city. However, some of her actions are very questionable, such as attempting to exploit two insane people who could kill her if she so much as makes the wrong move. One of them, Nathan, actually did in the first episode. Chloe also encourages Max to use her powers as much as possible, which causes Max’s nose to bleed and for her to pass out. If that’s not enough, Chloe plays with guns and lays on train tracks, the latter nearly getting her killed.

When you save her in a destructive way, Chloe does thank you but asked if you could’ve found a less destructive way to do it. I don’t know if this is a Final Destination Paradox, meaning that Chloe’s fate is to die, or if she’s just too dumb to live.

The game play is similar to TellTale with no QuickTime events. You pick dialogue but you don’t have to pick it right away. You explore different areas, talk to people, examine various items and take pictures. If you discover certain information about people, you can rewind time and use it to get closer to them. You can also rewind time if you don’t like the choices you made. Sometimes, the game play is rather frustrating on the PC if you can’t line the camera right. Other times, the mouse refuses to cooperate with you. You have no idea how many times I had to rewind time until I could get my mouse to cooperate.

As you play, Max will automatically fill her diary with character profiles and her version of what happened in the story. You will also receive text messages from various characters that Max will automatically answer if you press the right button. There will be a point where you get a text message from Chloe during Jefferson’s class and, if you try to look at it, he’ll scold you. I mentioned a scene that’s very tragic. However, you can prevent that tragedy if you say the right things. You won’t be able to rewind time in that scene, so be very careful. It’s frustrating but, I have to admit, I’m glad that they’re giving Max limits with her powers. It makes her more human.

This game is tragic and yet addictive. I give it 9 out of 10, it gave me a bit of an emotional reaction but not strong enough to get the full ten.

Bigby’s finally solved the murder of Faith and Lilly. Now he only has to bring the Crooked Man to justice.

The last episode ended on a cliffhanger with Bigby meeting the Crooked Man. T

hose of you still interested in finding Faith and Lilly’s killer might be disappointed in the resolution. Thankfully, the game is more about the huge conspiracy in Fabletown than it is about that. Which, if you ask me, is a little more interesting. As for who the killer is, it’s the one the fans most suspect.

Be warned, I have a few more spoilers to discuss. One is about the social commentary on prostitutes at the end. For starters, I should tell you that the one who killed those girls and the one who put their heads on Bigby’s porch are not the same person. The latter is Nerissa, The Little Mermaid, and this is where the social commentary enters. She talks about how the world considers prostitutes like her to be disposable. If one of them dies, people won’t bat an eye. It’s something Nerissa refuses to let happen to her friends, so she stuck their heads in front of Sheriff Bigby’s office to get his attention. This is something that separates Wolf Among Us from other video games. Don’t get me wrong, prostitutes are quite common in adult video games but this is the first time I’ve seen a prostitute treated as a person and not window dressing. Let me explain that, more often than not, prostitutes are what the main character pays for on the side being little more than sexual fantasies. In this game, the prostitutes may be victims but one manages to take an active role. In the second episode, it’s Nerissa who leads Bigby to Crane by insisting he pretends to be a regular customer. In this episode, if you bring the Crooked Man to trial, Nerissa will speak against him by pretending to be a witness.

Truth be told, she wasn’t actually there but she didn’t expect the Crooked Man to remember her and she was right. I’ll admit, Nerissa does dress a bit revealing when on the job and it is partly fanservice. However, remember her profession. When she’s finally free, Nerissa dresses casually.

Personally, I don’t think putting a woman character in revealing attire is sexist. It can be, if done poorly but, if you analyze each of your characters and you feel at least one of them would dress like that, you can pull it off.

The game play is typical of TellTale games. You pick Bigby’s dialogue options, you have to make important choices and you have to press the right button for Quicktime events. In this game, you get to fight Bloody Mary and it is awesome!

Yes, the original Bloody Mary from the urban legend. She can walk through mirrors, make copies of herself and is a real match for Bigby, in his original wolf form. That’s right, Bigby completely wolfed out! You even get to see Bloody Mary in her original unglamoured form and it is terrifying! This is a woman who kills the children playing Bloody Mary in front of a bathroom mirror for kicks. Even the Magic Mirror is afraid of her, I am serious.

As for the Crooked Man, you can either bring him to face judgment or kill him.

Either way, it’s rather anti-climatic. For instance, everyone at the Crooked Man’s trial is against him. Tim claims that people in Fabletown rely on him, yet we see no evidence of that. Speaking of Tim, he is also absent from the Crooked Man’s trial which feels like a major cop out.

As the Crooked Man’s biggest supporter, he could have spoke on his behalf giving Bigby a true challenge rather than only convincing the people who hate him. Speaking of copping out, I discussed Snow’s reasoning to have Toad and Colin sent to the Farm, which I did not approve of. It doesn’t matter if you stick up for Colin or give Toad money, Snow still sends them there. Then again, Toad could have been lying about Snow claiming the money didn’t matter. This is a guy who complains about the cost of glamour and has a sports car parked in front of his home. He probably screwed over himself and TJ, the one I really feel sorry for, and blew the money on expensive watches.

This game is intriguing and a little disappointing. I give it 7 out of 10; good ending yet a few wasted opportunities.

After discovering Crane’s sick pastime, Bigby continues the hunt for Faith’s killer. What he didn’t know is that he’s uncovering a plot that not only involves Faith, but all of Fabletown.

That’s right, there’s a huge conspiracy in Fabletown and it involves the Crooked Man, the same one from the nursery rhyme.

You don’t see him to the end, so I’ll discuss the Crooked Man more in my next review. However, I do want to take a moment to applaud Bill Willingham for his creativity. For those of you who haven’t picked up any Fables comic books, it has a similar premise as Once Upon A Time. Many people call the latter a rip-off of the former, but Bill Willingham himself said that’s not the case. I will admit that I feel Once Upon A Time has the easier job with adding new characters. That show is on ABC, which Disney owns, and believe me when I tell you that Once Upon A Time takes advantage of this. Bill Willingham does not have the Disney Company to fall back on, so he must improvise with characters from poems and nursery rhymes. Which is why Georgie Porgie is a pimp, Bloody Mary is a gleeful murderer for hire and the Butcher runs a shop near the Baker and the Candlestick Maker.

I am not kidding about that last one. You have to admit, for a man who doesn’t have Disney to fall back on; Bill Willingham is very creative with what he does have. I do remember King Louie in the comics, who many people know originates from the Jungle Book Disney movie and had no role in the original book. I actually took the time to research that, and I could find no record of Bill Willingham facing copyright trials for it. However, I did come across a statement from the author saying that you need to do proper research before you publish.

I should tell you that Bill Willingham is conservative and, while I don’t agree with his views, I do enjoy his writing. He himself admits that he never intended for Fables to be a mouthpiece for his political agenda. All he wanted was to tell a story about fairy tale characters living in the modern day. His views accidentally popped in as he wrote, which is something that happens to me as well. This story is no exception and, I should warn you, I will give away spoilers as I write. So skip the next paragraphs if you haven’t played the game and wish to go in fresh.

One of the Crooked Man’s operations is at the Butcher Shop Bigby visits and he’s been enslaving Fables to make cheap glamour. For those of you who don’t know, glamour is a magical substance used on animal fables to make them appear human. It’s rather expensive due to being difficult to mass-produce and the animals that can’t afford it must live at the farm. Bigby makes a statement about how people are so desperate get stuff cheap, they’ll do anything without realizing the cost of it, which I rather agree with. However, I do not agree with how Fabletown treats their animal citizens. I understand that the citizens must lay low, but that doesn’t make it right. The first act Snow White enforces when she takes Crane’s place is that all Fable animals must go to the farm. Something both Colin and Toad take issue with because the city is their home.

Even in the comics, the animals call it a prison sentence because the government won’t let them leave. In fact, the Fables go as far as to appoint a human to control the farm. Is it any surprise to see many people choose not to send Colin and Toad to the Farm? However, that doesn’t do them any good. Another thing I will talk about in my next review.

As for what the Crooked Man has on the Fables, I never discussed Faith’s situation in previous reviews. She is the princess from Donkeyskin married to Lawrence in the original Kingdom. When the Adversary took over, Faith and Lawrence were a couple of the lucky, or unlucky, people able to escape. In the fairy tale world, Lawrence is Faith’s Prince Charming, able to rescue her from her father and give her a comfortable life. In our world, he can barely hold down a job forcing Faith to prostitute herself so she can support them both. Nerissa, the original Little Mermaid, is in a similar boat, as she must prostitute herself to survive.

Then there are Fables such as Beauty and Beast who live comfortably by our standards yet have expensive tastes.

This leads them both to be indebted to the Crooked Man similar to how Corrine found herself indebted in Flowers in the Attic and resorted to cruel measures to keep the life that she’s accustomed to having. While Beauty and Beast haven’t done anything that drastic, they both have expensive taste and they’ve paid for it. Playing as Bigby, you are free to call them out on this, which I’m sure many people will. I don’t know about you but, after seeing how Fables such as Faith and Nerissa live, it’s rather hard for me to sympathize with Beauty and Beast.

Speaking of Fables who have it worse, Tiny Tim from A Christmas Carol is in this game. He’s all grown up and still handicapped as the mundies remember him. Let me explain that, in the world of Fables, the character’s strength is dependent on the memories of the mundies. This makes some Fables invulnerable and others as weak as any normal human, called mundies in this franchise. In the case of Tiny Tim, while the mundies remember him, they see him as the handicapped child in A Christmas Carol partly responsible for Scrooge’s redemption. It’s speculated that this is why Tim will always be handicap and there’s no cure for his condition. Either that, or there is a cure and he can’t afford it. Since the Crooked Man gave Tim a job, he speaks in favor of him. However, he’s not against the Fabletown government. When talking to Bigby, he claims that Fabletown needs both the Crooked Man and the government to survive but a war is the last thing the town needs. While Tim does not agree with everything his boss does, he points out that Bigby doesn’t agree with everything Crane does either. I loved this interaction because it talks about the shades of grey underlining what seems black and white.

The game has other character interactions that make it worth playing, and even show former enemies becoming friends. Colin, for instance, is one of the original three little pigs and he sleeps in Bigby’s apartment. If you haven’t figured it out, Bigby is the Big Bad Wolf who tried to eat them. Yet Colin regularly visits Bigby with no fear and even sticks up for him.

Another interesting case is The Woodsman from Red Riding Hood, the first suspect in the murder of Faith. At first, the roles changed to Bigby being the one enforcing the law and The Woodsman being the suspected perpetrator. In the first episode, The Woodsman reveals that he originally intended to rob the old woman Bigby ate, but ended up saving them instead. It’s not until you go to the pawnshop and see the Woodsman trying to get his ax back from the Jersey Devil that you team up with him and he encourages you to bring Faith and Lilly’s killer to justice.

The game play is typical of Telltale with you picking various dialogue options for Bigby. Sometimes, you have to make choices that supposedly influence the story, but I haven’t seen any evidence of that yet. You also have to participate in QuickTime events that don’t sneak up on you as badly as they did in Game of Thrones or Guardians of the Galaxy.

This game has an extra feature where you can collect a profile on a Fabletown citizen as you play. Let me warn you that does mean you’ll have to replay a bit of the game if you want to collect them all.

This game is addictive and intriguing. I give it 8 out of 10, an adult take on classic fairy tale characters.

This is the final chapter for the Forrester family. One of the older brothers died in a campaign to free Ironrath from the Whitehill Occupation; forcing the living brother to pick up the pieces. Gared’s found the North Grove, but he’ll have to work extra hard to gain the trust of the inhabitants. Meanwhile, Mira’s scheduled for execution in King’s Landing unless she marries an evil man.

The Ironrath plot goes one of two ways depending on which brother you killed in the last episode. As Rodrick, your goal is to negotiate with the Whitehills to prevent war and save your brother, Ryon. If Asher survives, he must take Rodrick’s place as Lord of Ironrath and convince the Whitehills that the war is not over. Since Asher survived in my play through, I’ll be reviewing that one.

First, I should tell you the terms of Ramsay Snow’s deal. In the last episode, Ramsay told you that the Boltons would stay out of the Whitehill and Forrester conflict. They will resolve this through war and the last house standing wins. Personally, I feel that Roose Bolton would side with the Forresters. No, I don’t mean that he would do so out of the goodness of his heart. Remember, the game points out that the Forresters are the better artisans and take care to chop down the trees they need. The Whitehills, on the other hand, are not only shoddy artisans, but reckless in their endeavors to harvest Ironwood. Roose Bolton may be evil, but he is also practical.

If Asher survives, Ludd Whitehill feels that his house is victorious. However, Asher refuses to bow down to the Whitehills. In this plot, you see a new side of responsibility in Asher as he tries to hold the reins after Rodrick’s death, refusing to let him die in vain. You also see a hint of a romance between Asher and Gwyn, the reason for his exile to Meereen.

Yet, despite his exile, Asher still loves his family as they do in return. Talia is someone you do not want to get on the bad side of. She may be as refined as Sansa, but she shows a spirit similar to Arya. Let me give you a little spoiler, if you choose to poison Ludd Whitehill at dinner, Talia volunteers to pour the wine. Elissa isn’t shy herself because she’ll offer to drink from the glass first to save Asher when Ludd insists Asher take the first drink. However, Gwyn’s character is still lacking in my mind. I get that she needs to side with her family but if the Forresters submitted to the Whitehills, that would just make things worse. Therefore, Asher has to fight with everything he has.

Another spoiler alert, Gared is the only character who will survive no matter what you do. This is ironic, because he’s not a true Forrester. He himself must gain the trust of the inhabitants of the North Grove. As for who they are, let’s just say that Lord Forrester had a few lapses in honor.

However, Gared does face one important decision. In the previous episodes, Cotter’s wounds are fatal. It doesn’t matter if you tended to the wound, he will still die. As Gared, you have to decide how you will end his suffering.

Mira’s plot in King’s Landing is rather strange because, to me, she always felt the least like a Forrester. I get that Mira’s in King’s Landing because Elissa signed her up to be Margeary’s handmaiden. She wanted her eldest daughter to learn to behave like a southern woman. However, she’s never truly interacted with The Forrester family. Yes, I get that would be a little difficult since she’s in a different location. Asher also had the same issue but we get to see him interact with his family and show affection for them. In the case of Mira, all we hear about how much she loves her family is through letters she gets and that her actions at King’s Landing do contribute to Ironrath in small ways. I realize that the Forresters are supposed to be like the Starks, separated through tragedy but still trying to pick up the remains. In the show, we see the Starks interact with each other before tragedy falls, giving us a sense of family and sorrow as they’re torn apart. Since the situation in the game is different, it would’ve been nice to provide some flashbacks to show happy family times, making Mira a true Forrester in my eyes. However, considering what happens to her, I guess it doesn’t matter anymore.

As I said in the first paragraph, Mira has to choose between death and an abusive marriage. Remember that Lord who helps you out in King’s Landing, Morgryn? Well, spoiler alert, he’s evil and wants control of Ironrath through Mira. Let me admit, I accidentally read a spoiler about Mira’s fate in the Game of Thrones Wiki and I knew she would live or die depending on my choice. I’ve grown rather attached to Mira so, at first, I was going to choose marriage.

Then I decided to have her die rather than marry Morgryn and have Tom, the coal boy who helped her, die in her place.

For those of you who don’t know, Telltale’s working on a second season and, considering this outcome, I don’t think we’ll be playing in King’s Landing anymore. This means that the plot will have many unanswered questions, such as why Tom wanted to help Mira in the first place. It’s what TV Tropes would call shoot the shaggy dog. Then again, considering how things usually turn out in Game of Thrones, maybe it’s not that much of a shock.

The game play is typical of TellTale with you picking various dialogue options for the characters you play.

Some choices will have a huge impact on the story and, this time, I actually mean it. During fighting scenes, you have to press the right key at the right time in order to live. At the end of the game, you can compare your choices with that of other players.

Since this is the true final episode, you can watch an epilogue of the Game of Thrones characters talking about each of the Forresters and their thoughts on them. Ramsay talks about Ethan and Rodrik, Margeary talks about Mira, Jon talks about Gared, Daenarys talks about Asher and Cersei gives her opinion of the Forresters as a whole. Let me tell you, it’s beyond awesome.

This game is depressing and yet addictive. I give it 7 out of 10, had me a bit shaken up but I didn’t like the King’s Landing story.

After Ramsay Snow murders Ethan Forrester and hands their livelihood over to their rival house, The Whitehills, the family struggles to maintain their once great house. Fortunately, Rodrik returns to become the new Lord under dire circumstances. Meanwhile, Mira Forrester secretly plots to overthrow the Whitehills while working as Lady Margeary’s handmaiden in King’s Landing and Asher, the exiled Forrester, is on his way home from Meereen with an army of sellswords.

I should warn you; this is the second episode of a TellTales game, so spoilers are unavoidable. For instance, Rodrik supposedly died in Episode One and then came back in Episode Two, his death turning out to be an exaggeration. Personally, I felt that was a cop out that they centered so much drama around Lord Forrester and Rodrik’s deaths, forcing Ethan to be the new lord. Then they destroy all the drama surrounding it by revealing that Rodrik’s alive and he can take over as the New Lord. I’ll admit, I actually liked Ethan and his struggles with having responsibility thrust on him at a young age. This was why I wasn’t happy to see Ramsay kill him at the end. I think it would have been more dramatic to keep Ryon dead and see how the Forresters truly struggle.

Mira Forrester’s scenes are some of my favorites, partly because they include Tyrion, who’s my favorite character in the show, other than Daenarys.

Don’t get me wrong, I actually like Mira, her struggles and how you can make her a total badass, if you so choose. Though I think Tyrion might have been a little sloppy in his assistance. Let me put it this way, this is the same man who told Lady Stark that, if he were to plot an assassination, he wouldn’t hand the assassin a dagger that could be easily traced back to him. When Joffrey’s killers frame Tyrion for the murder, he points out that, if he were to murder Joffrey, he wouldn’t do so in a way that leaves him standing there holding the cup. Tyrion also had to see who Cersei’s spy was on the council, so he deliberately told each member of his plan to betroth Myrcella to a different ward. I think that, if Tyrion were to ally with Mira, he would do so in a way where his alliance would not expose her or himself. For one thing, he approaches Mira while she’s with Sera, the other handmaiden, and not asking to speak to Mira in private. Tyrion also failed to dismiss the Lannister guard before bringing Mira to the meeting.

Speaking of Sera she has a small part in this and it’s something I actually like. She is a bastard and, while we see many male bastards in the show and learn how hard life is for them, we never learn what it’s like for females. In the world of Game of Thrones, no matter how bad things get for men, women always have it worse. Therefore, you can bet that life would be worse for a woman bastard, something I wish the show would explore and, I hope the game will take the chance to. No matter how bad things get for men, they always have the Night’s Watch as an option. I’ll admit, it’s not a great one but it’s better than nothing. How would a woman bastard be able to cope in Westeros? In the case of Sera, she needs to secure a marriage to a man of high rank in order to establish her security.

Gared joined the Night’s Watch and he hasn’t fared well.

I don’t know what the popular opinion about The Wall is, but my mom absolutely hates it. She finds it dull with only a few matters of interest. Personally, I like The Wall but that’s because I’m in love with Jon Snow, who gets to make an appearance in this game and advises Gared in life as a member of the Night’s Watch.

So far, nothing really happens except that Gared gets into a few fights and has trouble getting along with many of the other recruits. Gared also talks to Jon Snow, the one redeeming feature about The Wall, about the Red Wedding. They even discuss why Gared wants to be a ranger.

We heard about Asher in Episode One, but we never really get to meet him until now. I’ll admit, I like Asher’s journey as well as his companion, Beshka. You can tell that they’re both good friends who’ve seen each other through the good and the bad and are trying to survive in a harsh climate.

They both made a living as sellswords and have quite a few enemies to deal with. I was happy when Malcolm comes to get them and tells Asher the plan to save House Forrester. I already said their plan is to hire an army of sellswords to take back House Forrester, but what will they hire them with? Sellswords cost money, which they don’t seem to have in abundance. Maybe they plan to pay them with Ironwood, which is their livelihood, but you only get to keep half of it if you managed to convince Ramsay that the Forresters are the better craftsmen. Even then, you give over another half as dowry to convince Elaena Glenmore to marry Rodrik.

I particularly loved how Episode Two ended. Talia sings at the funeral for Ethan and Lord Forrester and the former’s last words influence the lyrics in her song.

I found this particularly moving not only because of the beautiful song, but also because of the shift of scenes to the other Forresters and Gared dealing with the aftermath of their own decisions and their own struggles to save their family, even if they don’t live at Ironrath anymore. It’s enough to make you cry.

The game play is typical of TellTale games. You make dialogue decisions for each character you play and the game compares the more important ones to what the other players decided. I’m just going to say right now that your decisions don’t really matter. For instance, there’s one scene where you have to choose whether Rodrik kisses Lord Whitehill’s ring out of respect in order to let his younger brother, Ryon, the Whitehills’ hostage on Ramsay’s orders, attend the funeral for his father and brother or refuse and allow Rodrik to keep his dignity.

No matter what choice you make, the outcome is inevitably the same. So don’t kiss the ring and let Rodrik rule the house with his head held high. You can also explore scenes with the character you play and collect items for your inventory, even if that doesn’t really accomplish anything. There will be quick time events where you have to press the right button, so don’t drop your guard for even a second. The Wall also has a game play event where you can demonstrate Gared’s skills in strength, swords and crossbows. I’ll admit that I actually liked that part, even if shooting the crossbow is a little tricky due to the constant movement.

This game is intriguing yet doesn’t seem to explore its potential. I give it 6 out of 10, a bit of a letdown but maybe it will get better.

It’s a time of darkness for the House of Forrester. House Stark has fallen and Ramsay Snow, the illegitimate son of Roose Bolton, sided with the rival house of Whitehill. Can the House of Forrester survive Ramsay Snow and restore themselves to former glory?

This is HBO’s second attempt to enter the gaming world, the first one being The Sopranos video game, which was a failure. Now Telltale attempts to bring Game of Thrones into the gaming world, HBO’s new cash cow. The game starts out at the Red Wedding, which is where, as many Game of Thrones fans know, Rob Stark dies. Since the lord of the Forresters and the main heir perish as well, a child inherits the responsibilities.

Sadly, that’s usually how things went down during the time period the game models itself after. Apparently, boys who haven’t gone through puberty made better rulers than fully-grown women. Though I do like how the game shows that things are changing and how hard it is for Ethan, the new lord, to follow in his father’s footsteps at such a young age when all he wants to do is keep playing with his siblings. Even if his fate is unavoidable which, I admit, almost made me cry. As for what that is, keep in mind that you’re dealing with Ramsay Snow.

For those of you unfamiliar with Game of Thrones, Ramsay Snow is someone who skins people alive in his spare time.

Definitely not someone you want to get on the bad side of.

As I mentioned, Ramsay Snow makes a few appearances throughout the game. Let me tell you, he’s not the only Game of Thrones character who does so. One of the Forresters works as Lady Margaery’s handmaiden, so you can bet that you’ll be seeing much of the Lannisters.

I’ll admit, I knew that characters from Game of Thrones make an appearance but I thought that it would be as cameos. I had no idea that they would be a huge part of the storyline. However, I will say one thing. As scary as Cersei and Ramsay are on the show, having to deal with these people makes them far more intimidating.

The game play is standard Telltale Games. You make choices for each character you play with some of them supposedly having a huge impact on the game.

I’m not sure how big yet, since I’ve only played the first chapter. I’ve already told you that one of the characters has an unavoidable fate, no matter what you do. At some points, you can explore certain places and read the codex for background information. Unlike other Telltales games where you only take control of one character, this one let’s you control different members of the House of Forrester at different times. So far, their situation and personalities seems very similar to the Starks but I’m hoping the game will expand on the Forresters so that they’re more than just Stark copycats. You can even compare your choices with those of the other players though, let me tell you, I’ve found myself restarting the game many times over fear that I’ve made the wrong choices.

This game is intriguing but emotionally overwhelming. I give it 7 out of 10, a promising start for Telltale’s Game of Thrones adaption.

After being kidnapped by a ruthless man named Bill Carver, Clementine and the rest of the group try to escape from their prison. Can they find new allies and flee this place without incurring Carver’s wrath?

I loved this chapter and the inclusion of the characters. Carver was actually my favorite in this one as he justifies his actions. True, he is a tyrant, but he believes that he’s doing what’s best for the group. I’m not saying that I agree with him but I do see his point. This is a zombie apocalypse and you do have to be ruthless to survive. However, pure ruthlessness is not going to save the day. I also love Carver’s interactions with Clementine as he compares her to himself. An amateur writer could have easily turned Carver into a pedophile. Instead, Carver admires Clementine’s strength and will to survive. She is what Carver wants the next generation to be and what he wants his supposed child to be. I don’t like how the characters from 400 days were demoted to cameo appearances with the exception of Bonnie. I do like Bonnie’s portrayal as she starts out weak and slowly gathers her strength.

The game play is the same as any other chapter. You make dialogue choices for Clementine, only what you pick doesn’t affect the story as much. You explore the area at certain times as well. You can also take part in quick action scenes where you have to press the right button at the right time. Failure to do so will kill Clementine.

This game is addictive but a little rushed. I give it 7 out of 10; they really need to focus on their characters a little more.

When Nick Carraway visited his cousin Daisy, he was just hoping to make it big as a bonds salesmen. He had no idea that he’d get caught up in so much mayhem.

Anyone who’s read the book or at least seen one of the movies knows how the plot plays out. I’ve done all three and had to play this game due to The Great Gatsby being one of my favorite novels. For those of you who know nothing about the story, it’s pretty hard to sum up while avoiding spoilers and condensing it into a few sentences. All I can say is that it’s about dreams vs. reality, the carelessness of the rich and a deconstruction of the American Dream.

The game play is that of hidden object. During cut scenes you have to collect a certain type of object enough time for points. You play through hidden object scenes in order to advance the plot.

You can also partake in mini games just as typing out the words as they come (my absolute favorite).

When you’re done, you can use the points you’ve accumulated to purchase decorations for your house.

This game is addictive but not really all that intriguing. I give it 3 out of 10; unless you’re a diehard Gatsby fan, you’re better off reading the book or watching one of the movies.

When the group finally arrives at their destination, they focus on finding a boat.Unfortunately, a man is stalking them and communicating with them on the radio.They also have to go to a town called Crawford, a place so focused on survival that children, the sick and the elderly are shot on sight.

This is when we see just how far some citizens are willing to go to survive.Partway through the game the characters have to go to Crawford and, spoiler alert, everyone there is dead.It shows that you can’t create the perfect survival race and when going through Crawford we get an idea of how the citizens must have lived.One part I really liked were the doctor tapes where he tries to convince a pregnant woman to abort her baby by telling her that she’ll be kicked out if she doesn’t.We also discover the back-story of a new character named Molly.What I don’t get is why the doctor would film such incriminating evidence against himself (if you play the game you’ll understand).

This game is not simplistic with anything and that includes cowardice.The character of Ben is not well liked and I was once of the same sentiment.He has a tendency to make bad decisions.When he and Clementine were surrounded by walkers he ran.After reading the character articles on tvtropes.org, I realized that I was being too hard on him.Remember my Rule of Rose review where I called the main character, Jennifer, timid?You may think I hated her but I thought her character was well-written and very realistic.She was a little orphan girl who didn’t have the emotional capacity to stand up to the people tormenting her and it had disastrous results.Ben is a guy too old for a guardian to handle the situation, unlike Clementine and Duck, and too young for the emotional maturity to handle it himself, unlike Lee and Kenny.Yes I am aware that Molly is younger than Ben and able to handle herself with the walkers but she had people depending on her.Ben doesn’t have anyone that needs him.I know that many of us that watch the series fantasize that we’re going to be like Darryl or Michonne but the reality is, if we were put into a situation like this, more likely we’re turn out to be Ben.

The game play is the same as it’s always been.You go through the storyline and make choices throughout the game.You can explore the scene and gather items to use later.During fighting scenes, you have to press the right button to survive.At this point I wonder if I shouldn’t just copy/paste this paragraph instead of writing it out each time.

This game is intriguing and addictive.I give it 8 out of 10; a fine addition to the episodic video game.

After finishing the Playstation version I concentrated on this one.Ironically, this one was actually the first version I ever played.Like the Playstation version, this also gives you the feel of being a student.However, there are differences in this version.

In the Playstation version, Harry Potter is the silent protagonist save for when he’s casting spells (think Link from Zelda or the 10-year-old trainers from Pokemon), but in this version he says very little.The thing is, Harry only reacted in the first book, so it actually makes perfect sense.You also have to collect beans for Fred and George, but instead of collecting a certain type of bean you just collect 25 beans and trade them for Wizard Cards throughout the game.You have to collect all the Wizard Cards in order to see the secret ending and like the book, Dumbledore’s the first card you get.

You also get to attend classes and learn spells.In order to learn the spell, you have to trace a symbol provided by the Professor.As fun as it is, there’s a ticking clock that can make you very nervous and your hand can be unsteady because of it, so it’s hard to pass the final tracing lesson.After that’s over, you get to participate in a challenge where you try to collect all the stars hidden throughout it.You earn points based on how well you traced the spell and how well you completed the challenge associated with it.There is one spell you learn from Hermione called Alohomora and you even get points from her, which brings up one question.How is Hermione able to give points?I have no problem with her teaching a spell, but actually giving points?Couldn’t she have just given you a Wizard Card or something?That would have made a lot more sense.Another problem I have is that you never have a Transfiguration Class.I understand not having History of Magic in the game, but Transfiguration?The only time you even see McGonagall is when she tells you that you’ve made the Quidditch team and then she just disappears.

Like the book, Cerberus is still guarding the stone (yes I know his name is Fluffy, but I’m calling him Cerberus) and you have to put him to sleep by playing the flute.However you never talk to Hagrid about any of this, so you never find out how to put him to sleep.You never even find out the dog’s name.All you know is that there’s a three-headed dog guarding the door and you were never told how to get past it.Unless Harry gained the deduction skills of Sherlock Holmes, there’s no way he would be able to figure out how to get past Cerberus.It also makes Ron’s line about how “Only Hagrid would call this monster Fluffy,” very out of place.

Again, we have Quidditch in this game and it even gets its own separate section, but they didn’t even try with this one.In this version, there is a mention of an opposing Seeker, but you never even see your opponent.The rings produced by the snitch don’t even serve a purpose, except to show you where it is.Like the Playstation version, the only way of losing the game is to get knocked out and this time you don’t have armor protecting you.

Like the Playstation version, the game is relatively easy except for the Wizard Cards.The difference is every part of this game plays some role in the overall storyline and you even find out why Fred and George are collecting beans.I give this game a 6 out of 10.